Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship
The Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship may be offered to some undergraduate, degree-seeking students who meet certain eligibility criteria.
Please note that the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship falls under the Federal Pell Grant and is not a separate scholarship. Students eligible for this scholarship would receive the maximum amount of Federal Pell Grant available for the aid year. They will not see a "Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship" on their account but instead would see a Pell Grant. Due to this, students who have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of zero from their FAFSA are already receiving the maximum amount of Pell available, so they would not see any change from this scholarship.
- Eligible Students
- Eligibility Criteria
- Enrollment Requirements
- Limits
- Additional Information and Requirements
- How to Apply
Eligible Students
Only available for undergraduate-level students who have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree.
Eligibility Criteria
Students may be considered for this scholarship if:
- They complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and
- They meet the eligibility requirements for the Federal Pell Grant (but do not have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of zero so they are not already receiving the maximum Pell amount), and
- Their parent or guardian was a public safety officer who died as a result of active service in the line of duty, and
- They were less than 24 years of age or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of their parent's or guardian's death, and
- They have been admitted into a degree-seeking undergraduate program, and
- They have not earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree.
What is considered a public safety officer?
A public safety officer for the purposes of CFHS is anyone who meets the public safety officer definition in section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C.3796b) or is a fire police officer which is defined as "an individual who is serving in accordance with State or local law as an officially recognized or designated member of a legally organized public safety agency and provides scene security or directs traffic in response to and fire drill, fire call, or other fire, rescue, or police emergency or at a planned special event."
Enrollment Requirements
The Pell Grant pays out at a pro-rated amount based on the student's enrollment in federal aid-eligible courses.
Limits
Students cannot receive the scholarship/Pell Grant after completion of a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree. Financial aid for each aid year also cannot exceed a student’s cost of attendance.
Additional Information and Requirements
- Eligibility is partially based on exceptional financial need based on data the student provides on their FAFSA. If that information changes due to making changes to the FAFSA, verification, or conflicting information, that could change eligibility for the CFHS/Pell Grant.
- Students must continue to meet satisfactory academic progress standards for financial aid eligibility.
- The amount initially awarded is based on anticipated full-time enrollment. The actual amount that disburses is based on the number of credit hours in which the student is enrolled on the last day of the add/drop period for the semester.
- In subsequent years, the student may continue to be eligible for the scholarship as long as they continue to meet the other eligibility requirements and continues to have a Pell-eligible EFC.
- CFHS/Pell Grant funds usually do not need to be repaid except for some limited circumstances.
- Additional information is available on the Federal Student Aid Pell Grants website.
How to Apply
To be considered for the CFHS, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and notify us that they meet the eligibility criteria. Unfortunately, there is not a way to identify eligible students, so they must self-identify. Please note that students must provide documentation to show they meet certain eligibility criteria.